DisPLACEd: Beginnings

Chapter One

Jake sighed, this was not an ideal situation - not an ideal situation at all. He trudged up the driveway, following the university's Dean. Something about this felt wrong, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He looked over his shoulder at the others trailing behind him. These people were going to be his roommates; boy, girl, tall, short, none alike in any way. Jake turned his gaze to the beaten-down two-storey house. The paint was peeling off the weatherboard with some of the roof tiles broken or missing completely. The gardens were minimal and mostly dead. Jake thought to himself that it must be illegal for the university to house students in a home of such poor quality. He sighed again, frustrated at his lack of options. The group ascended the two steps and gathered on the front porch as they waited for the Dean to find the right key to unlock the door.

"Welcome to Smith House, or as you will all know it: your last resort." Dean Olson turned the key in the rusty lock and gave the door a shove. The house groaned its welcome.

Jake entered first, coughing at the dust swirling through the air. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He thought back to the previous week when he found out his application for on-campus accommodation had been denied.

Jake returned his glasses to the slight crook of his nose. "What do you mean you're full up?"

"Sorry," the guy said, no sympathy in his voice. "There's no more rooms left." He turned back to his computer, typing away.

"But I put my application in for a room months ago," Jake protested.

"And the people who got in before you put it in six months ago; they won!"

"What am I meant to do then?" Jake asked.

The man shrugged nonchalantly and continued on with his work. He couldn't care less about Jake and his problems.

Jake dropped his shoulders in defeat. "Are there any places to rent around here?" Jake didn't exactly have money for an apartment.

A sly smile crept across the guy's lips. "Oh yeah. There's a great little place not too far from here. It's owned by the university. You'll love it." His words didn't match his condescending tone.

Jake nodded. "Thanks."

Jake's business-style black suitcase trailed behind him, getting stuck on the threshold. He felt it holding him back, and wondered if it was a sign. Shaking the silly thought from his head, he continued inside. He looked around, shoving his glasses back on. The decor wasn't exactly his taste; definitely better without the glasses.

Next in line was Aadita. "Do you mind?" She questioned Jake.

"Do you mind?" Aadita shouted in vain, banging on her bedroom wall. "Shut the hell up!"

The music blared through the thin walls of the dorm room. She couldn't tell if the racket was next door, or inside her skull.

Classes had yet to begin, but she was already leaning over an open textbook. Coming from a not-so-prosperous part of India, Aadita was used to noise, but she didn't see how this noise could be called music.

The bass shook the walls and her desk.

"That's it!" Aadita slammed the book shut. She shoved her chair back, almost tipping it over, and stormed out of the room.

"Sorry," Jake said, moving to the side and out of her way.

Aadita hadn't expected a co-ed living arrangement, but was determined to make her limited time at university work.